Manchester United faced Omonia in the Europa League, with Erik ten Hag and his players looking to build on their latest victory against the opposition.
The manager fielded a strong starting XI, with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the charge. Casemiro started one more game after his win against Everton. Victor Lindelof, fresh off 200 games for United, was partnered with Lisandro Martinez at the heart of the defence, with Raphael Varane deemed not fit enough to start.
Here are three things we learned from United’s hard-fought victory against the headstrong Omonia.
Dominant first half
The Red Devils were the better team in the first 45 minutes by a wide margin.
United finished the first half with 79% possession and a staggering 15 shots on target, including four on target. How the team got to the break still level with Omonia, who barely threatened, will remain a mystery.
Beyond ball possession and retention, Ten Hag’s men created an avalanche of opportunities but failed to guide the ball into the back of the net.
Marcus Rashford had a few touches on goal but was repelled by the Omonia keeper on more than one occasion.
Casemiro also had two clear chances but could only hit the woodwork. Fred was solid alongside his fellow Brazilian and helped organize the defense well in Christian Eriksen’s absence.
Defensively, the Reds were compact and in tune with each other. Even David de Gea, who has been criticized for not initiating a sweeping action and getting out of line with him, did it elegantly, at one point he almost made it to midfield!
While Ten Hag will no doubt have been disappointed that the players have not taken a chance, he will be encouraged by the fact that his footballing imprint and philosophy seem to be taking shape more and more.
United extremely wasteful
United’s failure to convert chances was a recurring theme that lasted well into the second half.
Just like in the first half, where the team created multiple chances, they did so in the second half as well.
What will frustrate United fans was the simple failure to do something with those opportunities.
Rashford missed a few more chances in the second half, as did most of his teammates. Bruno Fernandes hit a couple of balls over the crossbar. Ronaldo was hardly shocking.
Jadon Sancho and Eriksen, who came on, added another layer of dynamism to the attack, but could not definitively open up a stubborn Omonia defence.
Fortunately for the Red Devils, Scott McTomiany was able to find his shooting boots and helped his team win 1-0.
Fred and Lindelof are excellent competitor/endorsement alternatives
Lindelof and Fred were good against Omonia. The defender has smoothly returned to the baseline, forging an effective alliance with Martinez, similar to the one between the Argentine and Varane.
Lindelof’s skills on the ball always meant he would thrive under Ten Hag, and just like against Everton on Sunday, he flourished tonight in this regard.
Fred, who started in place of Eriksen, was equally up to the task and even had a few chances to score a goal.
The United manager may have a fixed starting XI in mind, but based on tonight’s evidence, the pair can be trusted to come in and get the job done. They can also serve to keep others in place alert and always looking over their shoulders.
